New Year Healthy Eating Resolutions

So it’s a New Year and healthy eating is a huge resolution for people. What people forget when they say they are going to “eat healthy” is to incorporate flavor into their food. That is what is so enticing and awesome about eating out – Flavor – and in some instances that flavor that you taste is – wait for it – FAT! I know that AND it still doesn’t stop me from eating out so what I always make sure to do as I’m cooking is taste, then SPICE as needed.

Healthy Eating takes more than a mind set. It takes planning and that’s hard because it’s always easier just to go thru the drive-thru or call for Take-Out! But, remember that piece of Rotisserie-spiced marinated grilled chicken you did with some broccoli and a baked potato? That was really the most delicious meal. Don’t forget the freshly-caught Rockfish spiced up Blackened style with the fresh mango-lime salsa and the green beans you had that time. What about your homemade “fried” chicken where you covered it in J.O. Cracker Meal spiced up with J.O. #1 that you baked instead of fried? Healthy is actually easier once you start. You just have to start. AND don’t forget to SPICE!

When you put in a baked potato for dinner, put in another one for lunch. When you are grilling a piece of chicken, grill two. When you are making a salad, cutting up the veggies, cut up a few more and use in a stir-fry or for the next day. Sometimes declaring Mondays the day of veggie prep and placing them in Ziploc bags gets your through ’til Friday and challenges you to make a dinner the rest of the week. I don’t feel like “working” on Sundays so I save my prep work until Monday and make sure that I have a leftover meal for the dreaded Monday lunch!

Go to the store with a list of what you enjoy eating if you want to stick to healthy resolutions. If you hate broccoli, forcing yourself to eat it because its “healthy” isn’t quite the best resolution that will stick. Do you like green beans? Salad? Carrots? Corn? (don’t underestimate the power of J.O. Lemon Pepper on all your veggies, especially green beans, zucchini, squash, asparagus, broccoli, etc!)  Do you choose to eat French fries over a sweet potato when you are dining out? Why not take a baby step and choose a sweet potato? Sometimes making that one baby step propels you to make other changes.

What’s the best way to stick to your resolutions for healthy eating? Trying it, just once, to see if you like it. If you happen to realize that you LOVE marinating chicken in homemade Italian dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar and J.O. Italian Seasoning) ~ you can put that marinated chicken on top of pasta, in a salad, in a wrap sandwich, on a plate with rice or stir fried veggies ~ Voila, you have created a healthy eating resolution solution about 4 days a week!

No one is asking you to change your eating habits 7 days a week. C’mon, we’re all human. We need a cheat day, even a cheat weekend. But healthy eating isn’t hard. BUT you have to SPICE! Even if it’s just the simple J.O. Garlic Pepper. You need FLAVOR!!!! That’s how your resolution will last. Eating just to eat is not something I know how to do. Eating to enjoy is what I know and spicing it up with garlic, pepper, ground mustard, rotisserie, rosemary, sage, thyme, blackened, cajun is just FUN!

What is your favorite spice to use? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the J.O. Garlic Pepper! You?

Have fun experimenting with your food,

🙂 Pamela